Cast metal model railroad track



MQW@ Z7, QS WL in. FABER CAST METAL MODEL RAILROAD TRACK Filed Aug. 24,1946 IN VEN TOR. Wa. Mm P @5f/Q.

Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This inventionrelates to improvements in toy and model railway tracks.

n -The use of toy railways for the amusement and instruction of childrenis quite extensive and the building, especially by amateurs, of modelrailroad trains, is quite a hobby.

. Toy railways have come equipped with tracks that are usually pressedfrom some thin sheet metal and are very cheaply and iiimsilyconstructed.

Theordinary toy railway track, due to its poor and weak construction, isliable to become dis- .arranged so that it will not function properly,,and if accidentally stepped on by a child or by an adult, it will becrushed beyond possible repair.

Y It is the object of this invention to produce a railway track moreespecially for toy and model railroads which shall be made from castmaterial, either metal, such as aluminum, or

aluminum alloys or of some suitable plastic. The construction of thetrack is to be such that it will be sufliciently strong to resistbreakage, even if stepped on by a grown up person.

i lAnother object of the invention is to produce a lcast railway trackthat can be molded in sections andreadily assembled into any lengths andwhich shall comprize curved sections that can be employed forinterconnecting the straight sides of an endless track and which shallbe so designed that the curved sections may be used at either end ofsuch track, being reversible, so as to t either a right or a left handturn.

A further object of the invention is to produce a railway track of theclass described which shall be provided with interconnecting dowel pinsarranged in alternate relation by means of which the several sectionscan be rmly and rigidly interconnected.

A further object of the invention is to produce -a railway section thatshall have one rail, either -one of the rails supporting the cars or athird rail, which is insulated from the railway track rangement of partsthat will now be described in detail, and for this purpose referencewill be had to the accompanying drawing in which the invention has beenillustrated in its preferred form, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan View showing portions of three straight railwaysections interconnected in operative relation, portions having beenbroken away and shown in section so as to better disclose theconstruction;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2 2, Figure vFigure 3 is a sectionsimilar to section 2 but instead of showing a third rail insulated fromthe track, it shows one of the train supporting rails so insulated;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4 4, Figure 3, and shows one way inwhich the electrified rail is supported by and insulated from the base;

Figure 5 is a section taken on lines 5 5, Figure l;

Figure 6 is a top plan View to a somewhat enlarged scale showing theadjacent ends of two railway sections and shows in greater detail howthe electric connection is effected between they ends of the third rail;

Figure 7 is a diagram in the form of a top plan view showing how thecurved sections can be used, either for a right or for a left hand turn;and

Figure 8 is a section taken on line 8 8, Figure 6.

In the drawing reference numeral I0 designates a supporting surface suchas a oor and reference numeral II designates the base or road bed partof the invention. It will be observed from Figure 2 that the base isprovided with inclined sides I2 whose edges rest on the supportingsurface. The center part, which has been designated by reference numeralI 3, is elevated above the supporting surface and has formed integraltherewith a transversely extending slightly elevated surface I4 thatrepresents ties. Tracks I5 are cast integral with the base and thelatter is also provided at the center of some ties with a pair of spacedVlugs I6 that position a third rail I'I which is positioned between thelugs and electrically insulated therefrom by some suitable insulatingmaterial like that designated by reference numeral I8. The ends of thethird rail have been designated by reference numeral I9 and these areslightly bent, as shown most clearly in Figure 6, so that when twosections are interconnected. the ends I9 will come into good electricalcontact and will be slightly bent so as to be under sum. cient strain tomaintain the contact.

Each track section is provided with two dowel pins which Vhave beendesignated by reference 'numeral 20, the end of each section has onedowel pin and one opening for the reception of the 4dowel pin carried bythe other section. The Idowel pins are secured to their sections bysolder or by any other suitable means so as to be permanently attachedto the section at points indi- -cated by reference numeral 2 I. Eachdowel pin is provided with a transverse hole 22 which is in`register'yvith' V a 'corresppnding'fhol in the mate'- rial of the baseand the sections are interconnected with pins 23, as shown moreparticularly in Figure 5. After the sections have been assembled andinterconnected'jth'ey"form"a"very substantial and rigid structure thatwill re st forces that would destroy the ordinarytoy 1^-I road track.For the purpose' of interconnecting the ends of the straight sections toform an endless track, each set sprovided with anumbr ofarcuate,sections like those designated by refer- 'n "r'meral Ziifin Figure'v'Due' to the'i'act 'tnat eaeherid br the'e'drved sections 24, nke'theend df the straight Sections; is 'provided with" a single`-dwel pin 20andan opening'positioned to receive a corresponding dowel pinfrom theadjacent section, 'the curvedendsectiorrs Amay be iised'toiefeet either`a right or a left hand curve ndcariftherefr'' be employed at either endof a 'closed track.

ItV has been `pointedout above that some toy trains and" model Ttra'insare so constructed' that a third rail is not necessary, the currentbeing p icked upffroin'one'o'f the' supporting rails, whichportingkstructure.

v"""iibrder -to'accon'imodate toy and model trains constructed'in"'th`e"manner' just described,` the track" been "slightly modified asshown "in Figresi aridi. v"nrthis, eonstructin the third 1 rail has beenomitted together with the lug 'I6 and'm" the' placeV ci'fthdthir'd raila` combined supporting' railand electric" conductor like"l thatVriesig'nated'by' reference numeral" 2'5 is" subst'i 1'I1`ited."` Thisrail has downwardly'extending pins "-:r

26 at spaced intervals and "the ties are provided "Withopeningsspaced'toitcorrespond with the spacingwof th'e'l'nins"4 andthe latterare 'surrounded by an':insulatingsleevez', which separates the rail 25from the conducting base. The track sections are provlided" 'attheir'Aends" 'with transverselyV extending flanges 28 as shownin Figure '8 andmay als'oh'ave tr'airsverseiyextending flanges atiinter- .be -given'the' 'appearance of "a cindr or Vballasted roaz'ibed` as" indicated byth'e'stipplingin FigureV 1. .:Pa-rticular 'attention :is 'also calledto" the' Inan- Lnerim which the third railis insulated; "f The L6 Varemoldedlattli time'that'theremainder*of the .track .is molded and" thethird rail'is merely `provided with" insulating *covering I 8 thatelectrically separates'it'from'the pins l'and from .the pper surface of'the ties.

The construction employing the dowel pins alternately arranged makes itpossible to positively prevent the sections from coming apart byemploying pins 23, which may be easily removed whenever the track has tobe separated.

In cases where mechanically operated trains, for example, such as aredriven by means of springs or by small gasoline or steam engines, areemployed, the third rail may be omitted and can ,be removed `veryreadily by simply lifting it up- Vwardl'yf` f r'ornits position betweenpins i6. Pins Zilareprefrably applied after the track has been moldedbecause, by doing so the holes may be cor- `rectly positioned by meansof suitable templates, "whereas,l if'tli'epins were to be molded inposition it would be more difficult to obtain a satisviacto'ryt andwould require the pins to be conv1"I-I'afving'described'the inventionwhat is claimed as new is:

"'A lsectional model railroad track having a section formedofcast metal'and a pair 'of spaced rails cast integral'therewith,'means at the" endsof the section to reversibly"joinV either end 'thereof toa'like section,'pairsof 'upstanding'memb'ers Vspaced longitudinally' of the' section,"a third Arail arranged' between 'said pairs 'ofV members, means forelectrically insulating said third railffrni 'said members, said'tni'rdr'air having 'the Irrds thereof bfert irffepposite" directionslaterauyof the'lngitudinal 'aism'ofthe Section and extendingtherebiey'fond, theconstriction being such that the "ends 'f 'saidvthird r'aiilwill provide 'electrical contact with adjacent third railson like sections 'iri i'rersible positions C "of assembly, Said' firstereditari @prima @we nn Seeed-'fo the# stetige sed'rreiiieg"lengiidieall'y beraad the endithereof atfeach'end of the sectionoh`opposite sides and same distance from the thirdrailQaLn aperture ineachend ofthe'section', similarly disposed forY receivingfa dow'el wherebyibseetieris .may b e .rsrersiblr'jomea bi1 xtending'ihresh ,e9.9il'esection and a dowel pin'V to 'lorkafsveltifnib is@ gestioni'wILMER P. FABER.

REFERENCES Crrsn Y The following referencesare ofrecord inthe @1? Q??hs.Pieff UNiTEDSTArEs PATENTS Number Name .Date 11,350,573 Lombardo Aug;24, A1.32.0 1,559,392 vvhiteleyl oct. 27, 1.925 1,678,079 Reischl 'July24, 1928 ,2,143,195 Kil-,bi1 9,11. al Janl0, 1.939 `.,.2,.2.ri2r,11Caruso Feb. 18,194.1 ,2,265,965 Frisbie L ,Dea '9, 19151 einen rebelMaya ne FOREIGN PATENTS Number `.Coimirv Date 493943 Holland Feb. 1,5;A1.3%,1 s022223

